Society

The society of the New Lands is rigidly stratified, with a clear hierarchy defining everyone’s place. Every man, woman, or child knows who is above them and who is below them.

Loyalty is first and foremost to the Underseers and the city, the clan second, and one's friend and family a distant third.

• Underseers: This ruling caste comprises sorcerers, warriors, and viceroys who govern on behalf of the mythical Overseers who vanished during the Shattering. They hold immense power and are seen as intermediaries between mortals and the divine order.
• Artisans, Merchants, and Farmers: These upper and middle castes form the backbone of society, engaging in skilled crafts, trade, and sustenance farming. Each caste is tightly bound by duty to their clan and master. Clans might hold sway over related areas of expertise, and the precise separation of responsibilities will differ between city states. But within a given city, the clans are ranked as well.
• Slaves: At the very bottom are slaves, who have virtually no agency and live to serve the higher castes. Even within this caste, slaves are separated in to slaves captured in war and at deb-slaves, the latter being the lowest. Their existence is marked by labor and deprivation.
• Masterless Men and Women: On the fringes of society, these individuals are outcasts who serve no one and live outside the rigid societal framework. They are simultaneously despised and relied upon as assassins, thieves, and spies, embodying a paradox of disdain and utility. Every city has foreigner's quarter, often by the harbor, where masterless men live, even if they originally grew up in the city, they are considered foreigners.

Clans are central to identity, and loyalty to one’s clan overrides personal ambition. Being cut off from one's clan and city is so traumatic that the Masterless men will often form into small tightly knit bands or communities to replace the lost clan.